


Going Knowhere Fast

by CannedTins



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Comedy, Dramedy, Gen, Knowhere, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Outer Space, POV Alternating, Slightly gay if you squint, whole reference to a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 04:49:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20186530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CannedTins/pseuds/CannedTins
Summary: After waking up just outside a pub in the middle of Knowhere, Rocket and Groot find themselves in a little skirmish which inadvertently brings the attention to Rocket's rival...No, not that one. The other one.





	Going Knowhere Fast

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't actually written any GOTG fanfics before I think...I apologize for any inconsistencies or OOC moments!  
Gideon is my OC. I really kind of wanted an excuse to introduce him properly.

The next thing Rocket knew, he was passed out in the back alleys of a pub in the middle of Knowhere (ha), Groot was nowhere (double ha) to be seen, and Howard the Duck had just finished a bar fight he’d started.

For once, that wasn’t Rocket who’d pulled out his big-ass gun from his own hammerspace and ranted about his own traumatic past while drunk.

And where the  _ flark _ were the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy?

Rocket groaned, shifting his little cybernetic body around in the dumpster he’d been trashed into, examining the pungent, revolting contents of the surrounding area. The last thing he’d remembered before blacking out into a void of deep nothingness was asking the Krylorian bartender for another Jack Spaniel’s, and Groot looking on with a face that was disapproval fused with genuine concern. 

Speaking of Groot, the next thing he felt was a long, ropey branch wrapping around his waist and lifting him off the dumpster like a claw machine carrying a teddy bear.  _ There _ Groot was.

“I am Groot,” Groot grumbled.

“Yeah, you just missed Howard back there, he did all the work for ya!” Rocket stood up onto the ground, dusting off his orange uniform. He never understood the “trash panda” joke Quill used to make---getting thrown into a dumpster was such  _ indignity! _

“I am Groot,” the Flora Colossus grew a new branch and flicked away some odd green slime from Rocket’s shoulder-- _ ohgodpleasedontbepuke-- _ smiling warmly at his companion. Rocket wasn’t sure whether to be thankful that Groot got him out of the dumpster or be furious that he’d ended up there in the first place and waited two minutes too long.

“Thanks,” Rocket shrugged, “How are we going to find Gideon’s Bible now?”

“I am Groot.”

“I know it’s not a bible, whatever a bible is. Quill says some religious fanatic text, but that doesn’t sound right here! It’s an...extremely important document.”

“I am Groot?”

“Yes, I know who Gideon is. I know what his book is! No, I can’t tell anybody else about it!”

“I am Groot.”

“I’ll explain later!”

Either the hangover started or Rocket was gradually getting impatient with Groot’s questions.  _ No, _ he can’t explain everything here on the spot or else he’d run out of time, and besides, he knew half of Halfworld’s entire military was coming for their long-escaped subject.

It was a long story, starting with a hare and a walrus and ending with...No, that didn’t sound right. Rocket decided he was not hungover yet, but still tipsy, tripping over a rock and eliciting a gasp from Groot as he picked him up, cradling him in his tree-trunk arms.

“Oh, for the love of---” Rocket kicked around as he tried to escape Groot’s grip, “---Let me go! What if  _ they _ find us here? They’ll take me back to...Halfworld, and...”

“I am Groot!”

“I’m not being paranoid, I---”

The resulting explosion shattered all further arguments the two were about to have, sending Rocket flying out of Groot’s arms and Groot himself scrabbling around in the resulting smoke, clearing out the debris.

Rocket wasn’t in a dumpster again, but instead much too close to some jagged rocks and mechanical wires trailing out from the underground mines. Heaving himself up from the rocky ground, his chest wracked with coughs and his head spun as he looked up to see a spaceship flying overhead, which Rocket estimated had to be just under a mile away from the surface.

“Aw, hell.”

Groot noticed, too, arm elongating with a sharpened branch reaching out to the spaceship, which deftly dodged the branch and fired again. Groot materialized a wooden shield and covered Rocket’s body as another explosion rumbled through the little corner of Knowhere they were stranded on. Citizens were in a panic, and as Rocket heard their shouts and screams, he got a strange feeling of Deja Vu, as if he’d been in this sort of situation before. Well, kind of.

No voices came out of the spaceship, no announcement of “you’re under arrest!” or “surrender to insert army here!”. Just the droning and whirring of its engines, and of course, the laser blasts. Rocket would have much preferred the former at this point. Another laser blast tore through the inky, rough ground, and Groot hugged Rocket, enveloping his companion’s soft, vulnerable body with his own hard wood and bark structure.

“I am Groot!” Groot roared, fighting back at the spaceship again while Rocket pondered where in the universe were Quill and others. 

Guardians of the Galaxy? Which galaxy?

__________________

Gideon had been traveling this part of the galaxy for 2 months, 8 weeks, 56 days, 30 minutes and 16 seconds on the clock. He’d already filled in so many pages in his book: drawings and writings about all sorts of planets, creatures, flora, specific landmarks and essentially everything else from his long travels. Ever since he’d escaped Halfworld, he’d been itching to explore the universe---if that was even possible.

All he knew was that he wanted to make sure he was the _ first _ to explore an area before his rival even considered the thought. That’s why he brought souvenirs, so he could prove to them that he’d captured the flag first. At the end of it all, it was less like true competition to him and more like friendly banter. He just wanted to have fun, and to learn more about the universe.

He’d been to Knowhere before. Not the first to come there, unfortunately, but he was familiar with the location at least. The thought of setting foot in the giant decapitated head of a Celestial creeped him out to no end, so he rarely visited---that, and the criminal activity that went on within, known for its black market trade and being home to the Collector. 

The Collector had once offered Gideon to be his assistant since he was so keen on discovering the universe, but he refused, finding the man much too weird to stay around for too long, and he was more of a lone wolf of sorts when it came to traveling.

Gideon had been mulling over the thoughts of last week’s expedition to Morag when a flash of light zoomed past his little spaceship---this was no comet, it accelerated much too fast and was much too coordinated in its movements. Besides, what sense would it make for a comet to be traveling in this sort of blank canvas surrounded by nebulae?

Another spaceship, he reasoned, heading towards Knowhere at breakneck speed. He wasn’t sure if it was Xandarian police forces or some other entity, maybe the Sovereign. Switching on his engine and plotting coordinates for where the mysterious ship was heading, he swerved his spaceship around and headed towards the Celestial head that unnerved him so.

Hot on the other ship’s trail, Gideon maneuvered around the blocks, buildings and machinery that made up most of the pseudo-planet (space station? He never understood what it really was) until he stopped where the other did too. He looked out from the windshield and saw that he was hovering above utter chaos: the other spaceship was firing at a furry animal and giant tree duo who were trying to fight back, sending flurries of dust, fur, and woodchips all around, coupled with the screams and shouts of not just the duo but of citizens all around. 

First of all, Gideon recognized the insignia drawn on the side of the spaceship, and second of all, he knew it was his rival and the tree he was always with trying to fight against the ship. Third of all, he had a good idea of  _ why _ the ship had come here. 

In an instant, Gideon rammed his spaceship against the other, sending it flying into an adjacent building, its laser weapon firing in all directions as whoever was seated inside it tried to re-adjust its gravity. The rivalling furry creature recognized Gideon’s ship, and swore at him, climbing to the top of his tree friend before jumping on top of Gideon’s ship, staring at him through the windshield.

“Rocky!” Gideon exclaimed, his spaceship backing up, “I saved your life!”

Rocket slammed his fist against the windshield, yelling things Gideon couldn’t hear, before the giant tree brought him back to the ground. This gave Gideon time to descent to the ground himself and exit the spaceship, his two pistols equipped. 

“You!” Rocket snarled, trying to wriggle his way out of the tree’s grip, which was much too strong for his relatively scrawny body to break free from. 

Gideon walked gingerly towards the two, his pistols firmly set in his pockets and not about to be fired anytime soon. He gave Rocket a welcoming smile.

“Missed me? Where’s the thanks, also? Halfworlder ship trying to blow your brains out or get you back to that hell-hole, I save your life, and you’re acting rabid,” Gideon scratched the back of his head.

“I came here first!” Rocket spat, still being held in his friend’s arms.

“I know, I know.”

“I am Groot,” the tree bellowed and set Rocket down, where he simply stood in place instead of charging at his rival.

“How did you get into this mess, Rocky?” Gideon rubbed his goatee, walking around Rocket as the other seethed, “Got in trouble with the locals again?”

“You really...had the nerve to come!”

“Hey, I saw the Halfworlder spaceship, and I saved your sorry ass, you and your friend, I keep forgetting his name---”

“I am Groot,” Groot interjected.

“Yes,” Gideon nodded, “Nice to meet you, Grass.”

“I am Groot!”

__________________

Groot had only met Rocket’s rival at least once or twice in the past. They’d never had the chance to have a full conversation before Rocket either pushed him away or Gideon suddenly had a change of plans and had to depart elsewhere for his further explorations. So, truthfully, he had no idea what to really think of Gideon as a person. 

One thing he did know was that Gideon was in possession of a very important journal that Rocket desperately wanted, if only to figure out how the hell his rival keeps getting to places before he did. The second thing was that he apparently had a similar sense of humor to Rocket.

Gideon  _ wasn’t _ Rocket, but Groot noticed how similar they looked in appearance. With their triangular faces and bushy ringed tails, it was as if they were cousins or something. The two major differences was that Gideon was a couple inches shorter and squatter, and instead of being brown-gray, he was bright red. Same eyes, though.

Wanting to prevent the inevitable scuffle between the two, Groot pointed to the fallen Halfworlder ship, asking, “I am Groot?”

“Yeah, I know it’s from Halfworld, I could see the sign,” Rocket dusted off his uniform, glaring at his rival, who simply shrugged at him.

“Imagine if they got you. Or me,” Gideon shuddered slightly as he said the last word, “The horror. The horror.”

Rocket’s shoulders lowered, recognizing the fear Gideon held about Halfworld, “I suppose that’s the one thing we can’t fight over.”

“I am Groot,” Groot placed a ropey branch hand on Rocket’s shoulder, and another on Gideon’s. He hoped he could reconcile the two somehow.

“Are you gonna say thank you? I think it’d be out of character,” Gideon smirked.

“You’re getting smarter, Giddy,” Rocket shot back with a smug grin.

“You know I hate being called that!”

“I am Groot,” Groot said pensively, noticing Gideon’s hackles raising. Rocket laughed, which didn’t help the situation at hand. From a distance, Groot could also hear the whirring of the Halfworlder ship as it slowly came back to life. Not good news.

Rocket and Gideon were clearly too busy glaring daggers at each other and arguing about who got to Knowhere first, that they didn't notice their potential impending doom arriving. Groot took it upon himself to shield the two, forming a massive wall of knotted branches with one arm, and using the other as a lance-type weapon to attack the ship. His back to the two bickering furry creatures, Groot made sure he was as menacing as possible as he grew taller and sprouted spikes out of his shoulders and head in an attempt to scare off the ship. It didn’t work, as the ship instead fired its lasers at him.

“I am Groot!” He shouted, picking up Rocket and Gideon as he tried to run from the ship’s oncoming laser attacks before finding himself surrounded by several more Halfworlder spaceships. Before he could think, a searing pain shot through his shoulder and he collapsed, looking behind at the ship that had shot him, then back to his furry companions.

“Ah, flark!” Rocket swore, grabbing a pistol from Gideon’s pockets and aiming it towards the ship directly in front of him. Gideon ignored the urge to reprimand his rival for taking one of his pistols without asking, and instead followed his cues and pulled out his other one.

When attempts at trying to shoot at the ships’ harsh metallic shells proved futile, Groot heaved himself back up and grabbed one of the ships with a hand, smashing it into the others surrounding it as Rocket and Gideon watched in awe.

“Where can I get a friend like yours?!” Gideon asked breathlessly, still aiming his pistol at the ships. 

Rocket smirked, “He’s one of a kind, sorry!”

“I am Groot!” Groot shouted as he took down the remaining spaceships, trying to ignore the pain coursing through his body.

Rocket and Gideon had evidently stopped their bickering, instead focusing on saving their hinds from Halfworlder ships. They had that shared experience of being experimented on, the one thing they could not see as competition or disagree about. 

“Why are they even here?!” Gideon shouted amidst the cacophony.

“They’re trying to take me back, ya flarknard! I thought you  _ knew! _ ”

There it was, the arguing started again. The chaos in that corner of Knowhere had eventually alerted police ships, and Groot could even spot the  _ Milano _ amongst them. They were finally here, Quill and the others had finally arrived to put a stop to this mess. Groot sighed a deep breath of relief and waved at the incoming ship, Rocket and Gideon taking notice as well.

The halfworlder ships were already retreating back into the atmosphere, leaving the furry creatures and giant tree to watch the scene, wondering what to do next.

__________________

“What the  _ hell _ ,” were the first words to escape Quill’s mouth as the  _ Milano _ landed. He briefly shut off his Walkman as he looked around the surrounding area, debris and dust scattered everywhere with the Nova police force chasing after the rogue ships far off in the distance already. Groot waved at him, but Rocket stood frozen in place with a pistol in his hands---and an unfamiliar character beside him.

“Rocket, what happened here?” Gamora was next to climb out of the ship, her eyes narrowing, “What did you do?!”

Quill recognized that the figure beside Rocket was a red panda---he’d seen one of them in a nature documentary before. That was the only thing that came off as familiar to him, however, but as he thought about it more, he came to a realization.

“Wait, I thought you said there was no one else like you?”

Rocket scoffed, “So I lied, whatever. Meet Gideon, he thinks he can travel the whole universe before me or something.”

Gamora ignored Gideon, however, and kneeled down beside Rocket, lowering her voice, “Tell me what you did.”

“Woke up outside of a pub, attacked by Halfworlders all of a sudden. Gideon came in to save my ass,” Rocket side-eyed his rival, “Or to make himself look heroic.”

Quill was about to ask something about Halfworlders when Drax jumped out of the ship with a heavy thud, taking in the scene with amazement.

“This takes me back to my admittedly embarrassing battle with Ronan. You remember that, don’t you?” 

“Not the point right now, Drax,” Quill rolled his eyes, “Rocket, tell me more. What about Halfworld?”

“Why don’t  _ you _ tell him, Giddy?” Rocket jabbed an elbow at Gideon, “Since you know everything there is to know!”

Gideon looked back and forth between Rocket and Quill, slowly stepping backwards and clearing his throat. Rocket smirked at him, seemingly having gained the upper hand in dealing with a Terran. 

“Giddy knows a whole lot, but is scared to death of humies. Don’t blame him, though, I was too. Until I toughened up.”

Quill furrowed his brows, “Being a jackass isn’t going to help me figure out what’s going on, Rocket. We got worried about you and Groot taking off like that!”

“He cried,” Drax added, “Just like my daughter when she was an infant. Brought back memories.”

Quill ignored the comment and carefully put a hand to Rocket’s shoulder, nodding at Groot as well, “We’re gonna get back to the ship and you’ll explain everything to us, yeah?”

“But what about Rocket’s friend?” Gamora asked.

“I’m  _ not _ his friend!” Rocket growled, “I hate his guts!”

“He doesn’t,” Gideon snorted, averting any eye contact with the humanoids, “He really doesn’t. And I’m alright, I have my own ship. Thank you.”

Quill couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched Gideon hobble back towards his spaceship and eventually take off, “He’s like a teddy bear!”

“I am not sure what a teddy bear is, but somehow I agree,” Gamora climbed back into the  _ Milano _ , Rocket and Groot following along, then Drax and finally Quill.

It had been a rather hectic evening, with first Rocket and Groot taking a joyride to Knowhere without the rest of the team knowing, then being alerted by the Nova officers that an incident was happening there, seeing Rocket and Groot with the odd, shy little red panda...Definitely something he would remember.

Quill would ask Rocket all about what happened, why they went to Knowhere, who exactly Gideon was, and what were the Halfworlders doing here and what did they want with him. However, he felt tiredness creeping on and opted to lean back in his bunker, listening to the song currently playing on his Walkman. 

The song didn’t do much to satiate his concerns about Rocket, through. There was apparently so much he didn’t  _ know _ about the emotionally unstable raccoon.

He would also explain to Gamora what a teddy bear was.

  
  
  
  


__________________

Gideon sighed as he re-ignited his spaceship and took off into the atmosphere, watching the other spaceship---Rocket’s---fly away as well. He should have expected to find Rocket somewhere, but didn’t expect this sort of scenario to happen. Or maybe he should have. He shook his head and plotted some coordinates on his map to see where he could explore next, maybe somewhere beyond the Andromeda Galaxy.

He  _ did _ save Rocket and Groot from the Halfworlders, and  _ no, _ it was not to look heroic, he actually cared a little bit about Rocket, even if he wouldn’t admit it personally. He also had a feeling that Rocket felt the same way, considering how much they bickered over the little things. How so? Maybe it was his tone of voice, or the fact that such a trigger-happy person wouldn’t just shoot him in the head and be finished with him, no. He definitely seemed to enjoy the arguments, in a sense.

Who else calls their rival a cheeky nickname like “Giddy”, with Gideon firing back with “Rocky”?

He still realized what Rocket’s ultimatum was, to find Gideon’s journal and take the lead for once. Rocket hadn’t been put in 23 prisons and escaped each time for nothing, certainly not to fall behind his rival. There was a lot going on.

And about Halfworld, even the mention of such a place sent Gideon into chills, he couldn’t bear to return there ever again and wondered how Rocket even coped with it. Maybe his giant tree friend helped, or those humanoids...

He’d been cowardly, backing off once the Terran in the red jacket walked close enough for him to smell his foreign breath. He knew it couldn’t have been a Halfworlder, but the resemblance was too much to bear. Were Halfworlders Terran, or a subset of them? Gideon shook his head and moved on, soaring through the empty black void of space. He loved space.

At his side was the journal, tightly bound in blue leather and the cover decorated with a symbol he’d made himself, and a title above it. He could have called it a journal, simply, but he wanted something else to it. Something more meaningful. He’d learned the word from another Terran during a stay at a hotel.

He called it Gideon’s Bible. He liked how that sounded, despite not fully knowing what a bible was. That didn’t matter as long as it sounded nice and important to him, and no one would ever get their hands on his journal, especially not Rocket.

He was actually looking forward to seeing Rocket and Groot again someday.


End file.
